Daddy Was A Greaser
by Retro Soul
Summary: After Sandy returns home with her baby, Soda commits to take the child on, despite it being another man's. Life turns sour when Sandy decides to leave them. But life goes on and Rosie thinks the world of her father. Until she finds out who he really is.
1. Chapter 1

_**It's 1975. After Sandy returns home with her baby, Soda commits himself to take the child on, despite it being another man's. Life seems to be sunshine and roses until, in 1968, Sandy leaves Soda and their daughter. But life goes on and 10 year old Rosie thinks the world of her father. Until she finds out who he really is.**_

Daddy was a greaser. He was a strong man, even after Mama left us. He turned the other cheek, not once did he break down and not once did he let me see him cry. He was passionate about keeping me clean and preserving my innocent mind. He failed horribly and by the age of 7, my mind had already been corrupted. Yes, this associated itself with the fact that I was once left to be babysat by my daddy's friend, Dallas Winston. He had taken me in his lap as I played with his bleach blonde hair, whilst he chugged away at his beer, cursing the whole time. I did not like Dallas Winston. I met him when I was only 3, along with five other men who were suddenly part of my life but where parts of Daddy's past life. My third year of life was a transition year. That was the year Mama left us. She left in the dead of the night from our two room apartment. The next morning, when she was absent from the apartment, me and Daddy very well knew what it meant. I may have only been 3 years of age but I wasn't dunce. I knew what had happened.

"Daddy, is Mama gone?" I had asked, slowly inching towards him. He grabbed me into an embrace and brushed his face against my golden curls.

"Yeah, baby girl. Mama's gone." he replied, his voice quivering. That is when he retreated into his room and I heard him crying through the walls.

Knocking upon his door, in my own small voice I said, "Don't cry, Daddy."

"I'm not crying." he snapped at me. "Daddy doesn't cry. Ok? Remember that, Rosie." he informed me. And so, it is truth when I say that my daddy didn't cry.

Shortly after Mama left us, we had to evacuate the apartment and move back to Daddy's previous home. There lived my uncles, Darry and Ponyboy. Although I was an outgoing child, when introduced to these men, I stared at them blankly, unsure of what to say. You must understand how a 3 year old is to comprehend that someone's name is Ponyboy. When Daddy told me of his name, I envisioned a clumsy boy with tall ears that stuck out of his head and a bushy tail that shot out from his back. Ponyboy did not meet my expectations. He was a average sized 17 year old with reddish hair that was greased back. His green-grey eyes sparkled but all that stood out to me was that he was not the Ponyboy I saw in my juvenile head. When he extended his hand towards me with a smile pasted on his face, I did nothing but stand there and blinked at him.

"You're not a ponyboy." is all I said. In which, he threw his head back and let out a deep laugh, the kind of laugh that erupts from your core and rings through your ears, making it contagious to everyone who hears it. Soon, we were all laughing, me, Daddy, the ponyboy and the older man who was assumed to be Darry.

"Of course I'm not a ponyboy. I'm _the _Ponyboy." he informed me as he winked with his sparkling set of eyes. Next up was Darry, the 23 year old who looked like a worn out 30 year old with his hard grey eyes and the fatigued look he carried with him. Unlike Ponyboy, Darry did not smile. Yes, the edges of his lips were slightly curved upward but it was nothing compared to Ponyboy's toothy grin.

"Hello, Rosie. I'm your uncle, Darryl." That was how he presented himself and that was what I was instructed to call him. Uncle Darryl. There were four other men who were brought into my life that day. They went by the names of Steve Randal, Daddy's best friend, Johnny Cade, Keith "Two-Bit" Matthews and, yes, Dallas Winston. I did not know it at the time, but, these men would turn out to be my best friends. Yes, they were much older than me. That is why I tented to lean towards Ponyboy, the 17 year old, and Johnny, the 19 year old. But my story does not take place while I was three, no, it takes place when I am 10 and my life suddenly becomes an open book. Just as 3 was a transition year, 10 would also be one that turned my world upside down. Just picture this: everyone you've ever known and ever trusted turning out to be a totally different person, everyone turning out to be someone insanely different from what they made you believe they were.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the great reviews!**

Let's fast forward, shall we? Seven years later, its 1975. I was 10 years old. I had gotten used to my new style of life, my new home. Not a care, not a worry, it seemed to me. Daddy tried to shield me from being corrupted but the moment I met Dallas Winston, that goal was partially ruined. Like I mentioned before, I did not like him, he was loud, boisterous and reeked of alcohol. And he, in return, saw me as a way to make extra cash when Daddy asked him to baby-sit me. Dally would demand a charge.

"What is this worth to you?" he'd tease Daddy.

"C'mon, Dal. It's just a couple hours. You know I don't have money to just toss around!"

"I know. Listen, I aint asking for much." And that is how I became a tool for Dallas. As time went by, he discovered a new way to take advantage of me. Once I turned 8, he'd take me to the bars and flash me around to all the girls. Naturally, they'd _ooooh_ and _awwww_ and play with my pig tailed hair and hang off of Dally like leeches. I suppose girls are attracted to guys who like children. After Mama left, I often wondered if the only reason she stayed with Daddy as long as she did, was because he was just someone to take care of her child. Was she planning to leave us from the very start?

The spontaneous trips to the bar with Dally all came to a halt, the day Daddy gave me a hug and got a whiff of my hair, there was a scent he didn't like.

"Why does Rosie's hair smell like beer?" Daddy had asked, he was calm but voice was strong and intimidating. Dallas took one glance at Daddy and shrugged.

"Dally, where you drinking this afternoon around Rosie?"

"No."

"I don't believe you."

"Fine by me. I couldn't give two shits if you believe me or not." Dally shot back, he was being defensive. It indirectly confirmed that he was hiding something. Dally's foul vocabulary was another reason why I wasn't fond of him.

"Rosie, was Dally drinking?" my father then turned to me. I peered at him, in his wary chocolate eyes, I fought back the urge to smirk. My daddy was a handsome man, he was tall and slender with dark golden hair that he slicked back. Over time, he got rid of the greased back look. I suppose he didn't need it anymore. He was a man, not a free-spirited youth. But to me, Daddy was always a greaser.

I couldn't stare at him for long without a smile creeping across my face. From behind him, Dally rest his index finger over his lips as if to heed me to keep the secret.

"No, Daddy." I answered in my child-like voice. "Dally wasn't drinking.". That wasn't a lie. Dally hadn't touched a drop of alcohol the whole time we were there. He was too busy swooning ladies who were swarmed around us, repetitively commenting on what a 'doll of a child' I was. "But," I added softly, feeling my petite body tense up. Daddy eyed me suspiciously, he didn't expect me to add more. "He took me to a bar."

"You what?" Daddy exclaimed, swirling around to face Dallas, who now had a sinister grin. "What are you smiling about? She's only eight!" he scolded, taking a stride towards him. I was ordered to my room and I went obediently.

Now, you must be bored stiff, my past wasn't exactly a desirable one. Neither was my child hood but I made the best of it. Now, lets start the story, which is hardly a fairy tale, I must warn you.

I stormed up the steps to my home of seven battered years, my school books propped upon my back, resting in my satchel. My heart leapt at the sight of a red Ford out in the driveway. My Ponyboy was home. Him being the youngest of Daddy's gang, we tended to flock together. Yes, he was my uncle but he was my best friend. My only friend. It didn't matter that he was 14 years older than me. I've never known the reason behind it, I just wasn't likable by people my own age. They'd cower away from me, the rumours about my Mama started the first day of school. Soon, the rumours were forgotten but the memory of the morning we found her gone would be singed into my memory for eternity.

I closed the door behind me and tossed my satchel to the couch. Ponyboy was bent over the table, furrowing his brow into a letter. He didn't look up from his letter and by reading his face, I knew what it was. A rejection letter. As I was 10, Ponyboy had just turned 24. A young man applying for a college. Uncle Darry, Daddy and I would console him as he got rejection after rejection. I never understood why, he was smart, any fool could see that.

"Ponyboy?" I asked softly, taking socked footsteps in his direction.

"Not now, Rosie." his voice quivered as he looked up at me, his eyes pained and the substance of tears gathering in his forever sparkling eyes. They sparkled no matter his mood.

Ignoring his resistance, I slowly wrapped my arms around his waste and told him he would be accepted in just a matter of time.

"You're smart. Smarter than me." I giggled lightly and he put a warm arm around my shoulder.

"You're a good kid." he sighed in a warmer tone and pressed a kiss to my forehead. Good kid. I felt proud of myself. If I look back on this, it's quite comical that I haven't a clue what's going on and who everyone really is. But you wait and see, its just a matter of moment before everything is smashed to pieces and an invitation is sent for the devil to come and dance upon the shattered pieces that lay scattered.


	3. Chapter 3

When Mama left, I never thought I'd see her again. And after the pain she caused Daddy, I wasn't sure if I _wanted_ to see her again. I saw her in a different light after she left us. She was a whole different person to me. Not the woman who'd wrap me in her tender arms and sooth me with her angelic voice, but the woman who abandoned us without looking back. The woman who silenced my daddy for a week. He wouldn't speak, he wouldn't eat, he barely got out of bed in the morning.

Often, I played out a second encounter with my mother. Especially as I matured and my hatred grew. My pure adolescent heart slowly got darker. In my imagined encounters with her, I would be close to her height. My eyes would bore into hers as I grasped her by her delicate little arms. I would not yell or shout at her, just let my eyes speak to her. After her soft blue eyes were close to tears, I would finally speak out loud.

"I hate you, Mama." I'd say softly but my tone was so bitter, it could make the devil himself shudder. She'd nod her head and accept my hatred.

"I know." she'd silently sob. Just as I'd turn to leave, I would spit at her feet just to symbolize how much I despised her and to show her that, because she caused me pain, I would return the favour. You must know, I was not a spiteful child. But when it came to Mama, my heart hardened.

I'd hear stories about Mama, Two-Bit Matthews would blurt all the nasty tales but Daddy worked hard to keep me focused on the sweet memories I had of her.

I remember vividly, when I was 8, a scene that played out at the market. I stood at the counter, on my tip toes, placing my quarter for a bag of candy. While the lady behind the counter gathered my candy, two other young ladies in the line along side of me, eyed me and whispered amongst themselves. They looked to be in their twenties, the same age as Daddy, 24 at the time.

"Isn't that Sandy's daughter?" one of them murmured. I glared at them from the corner of my china-blue eyes, which Daddy said I obtained from Mama along with my golden curls. How did these ladies know Mama?

"Oh yeah. Y'know, I heard she left the daughter and the father a couple years ago. Poor girl, not to have her mother around. I feel sorry for the father too. He's raising the girl as if she was his own." the other girl muttered back and they moved up in the line. I stood there, slightly taken aback. What did they mean? _He's raising the girl as if she was his own. _The words rang through my ears all the walk home. It stirred something inside of me. I felt as if the world was keeping a secret from me and, no matter how much I pleaded for the answer, they wouldn't tell me. I'd thought long and hard about the young ladies' words, my frail legs stomping in the gravel on my walk home, the paper bag filled with sweets clutched in my fingers. I couldn't tell you if it was anger or frustration I was feeling. I was often confused about my emotions.

The night that changed my life started like the rest. I climbed into the bed that me and Daddy shared. I know what you're thinking. Anyone would think the exact thing when there's a man and a young girl in the same bed. But I can assure you that Daddy was not that type. He wouldn't lay a finger on me in that way.

Just as Daddy turned the lamp off, Uncle Darry appeared in our door way, a look of despair and shock written on his face. It gave me a small scare, I had never seen him like that. Uncle Darry had always been as cold as stone.

"Uh, Soda?" his words stumbled, holding caution in them.

"Yeah, Dar?" Daddy replied sleepily.

"I think you'd better come out here for a minute…uh…there's uh….there's someone at the door for you." he told him. I looked back at Daddy and now his expression was matched with Uncle Darry's, which scared me even more. I suppose he sensed something was wrong. Swiftly, Daddy swung his legs out from the cover and rose from the bed in his baggy t-shirt and boxers. I started to get from the bed to join him, but he took me by the shoulders and tucked me back in bed.

"Stay here, ok Rosie?" Daddy cautioned me as he locked eyes with me, his chocolate eyes. All I could do was nod.

Sitting in that bed alone, breaking out in a nervous sweat was something I'll remember for a very long time. When you're 10, your imagination flies high and I pictured all sorts of trouble Daddy was in, from the services taking me away from him to a bunch of hippie monsters snatching him from the doorway and pulling him into one of their peace vans, taking him away forever.

Finally, I couldn't take not knowing anymore, I rose from the bed an approached the closed bedroom door. I was about to run out of the room when I heard muffled voices from the other side of the wall, I stayed put. Pressing my ear against the wall, there were three voices. One belonged to my father, the other -it barely spoke- I recognized as Uncle Darry's. But the most dominate voice I heard was that of a woman's. Could that be right? What business would a woman have coming to this house? Although I couldn't make out the words they were saying, I could tell the feminine voice was bitter and aggressive.

Curiosity got the best of me and I pushed the door open, stumbling into the hall. To say the least, I was utterly stunned by what was before me. Heat rushed to my face, all eyes were on me.

"Hey, Rosie, sweetheart!" the woman squealed and held her arms open for an embrace. I stood there and blinked.

The woman was Mama.

All the words I had practiced saying to her seemed to be lost. I couldn't say a single word.

"I think you better leave, Sandy." Daddy said bitterly as he lightly started to push her out the door. I was still marvelling at the fact that she was there, in front of me, and I had no words to say to her.

"Actually, Soda," she protested and shoved him into the wall. "I'm taking Rosie with me." My eyes widened and I backed away from her.

"No!" Daddy yelled as he stood in her path from me. "You left, I raised her by myself! And you expect to just come back here and take her away? It doesn't work like that, Sandy!" he shouted at her, waving his arms frantically.

"Look at yourself, Soda! You're still living with your brothers! I, on the other hand, have a steady job with a husband and live in a home that is much more suitable for a child!"

"You got married?" is all Daddy could manage after she broke the news. For a moment, and only a moment, Mama's soft blue eyes bore sadness as they flickered at him. But in an instant, they were hard again.

"Yes. It's more safe for Rosie to stay with me now." she shot back spitefully and took a stride towards me. I backed away from her, I didn't want to be anywhere near her. _I hate you, Mama_. The words sat in my throat but, in spite of myself, I couldn't seem to get them out.

"Sandy, she's staying with me. Now get out of here before I get angry." Daddy growled at her through clenched teeth. I had never heard him so upset before. I believed, if she provoked him much more, he would blow. She snapped her body back to face him but what she said, I could never of been prepared for.

"Why do you care so much about her? She's not even your child!"


	4. Chapter 4

She's lying. She's got to be lying. That's all I thought when Mama spat those horrid words at us. I expected Daddy to snap at her and inform her that I was just as much his child as I was hers. Besides, she was lying…wasn't she? But Daddy did no such thing. He just looked to me with a pain in his eyes. Suddenly, I realized that it could very well be true. But how?

Mama looked cautiously from Daddy's forlorn face to mine, which was still trying to decide whether it was angry or confused.

"Oh God," Mama gasped. "You didn't tell her, did you?" But I didn't need to be told. Daddy's expression said enough.

"Rosie, I was going to tell you but-"

Without giving him a chance to explain, I pushed them both out of my way and ran out the door, slamming it hard behind me. By the time Daddy had opened the door to go after me, I was already half way down the sparsely lit road, my heart pounding in my ears.

"Rosie! Rosie Curtis!" Daddy's voice echoed down the road.

"You have no right to call me Rosie Curtis." I murmured bitterly as I went on running. I don't know how long I ran for but I ran pretty far. I was right near the South side when I came to a halt, my breath staggering and my 10 year old legs aching. I collapsed from my feet under a tree, running my fingers through the dew kissed grass. I hadn't really given Daddy a chance to explain, had I? But what difference did it make? One way or another, he still wasn't my father. It felt strange to think that. Daddy was nothing but a stranger. All these years and all those lies. Well, I suppose he never actually lied. He never came out and assured me that he was my biological father. It was more of an understanding.

But how could he be a stranger to me after he raised me and cared for me, all those years? How could he be a stranger when he was my daddy? This was the point when I began to stop trusting people.

And how dare Mama come back and demand me from Daddy! The nerve of that woman, I really wished I had said something to her. Anything. But no, I just stood there, like a fool, and blinked at her. _I hate you, Mama_. They were four simple words, why couldn't I say them? I was stunned. That's why.

It wasn't until I shivered from the wet grass and the night air that I realized I was still in my pajamas. Red and black checkered pajama pants and one of Ponyboy's old shirts. Ponyboy. I thought of him with his sparkling eyes and his voice saying, "You're a good kid.". Ponyboy was the only person I hated to disappoint more than Daddy. But hadn't Ponyboy lied to me too? He'd never hinted or inferred that I wasn't Daddy's child. He betrayed me. Betrayed. That's how I felt right then, sitting alone in the dark. Everyone I'd ever known, knew the one thing I didn't and they made me believe they were someone they weren't.

Because, if Daddy wasn't my real daddy, then Ponyboy wasn't my real uncle. And if Ponyboy wasn't my real uncle, that meant neither was Uncle Darry. So, if those people weren't my real family…who was?

Outrageous situations come with stupid decisions. And I can tell you that I sure wasn't using my head when I set out to find Dallas Winston. I really had no clue why I wanted to talk to him about it. He wasn't the type of person you could talk to seriously, nor was he sympathetic. But, that night, I don't think I wanted sympathy. I just wanted an explanation. It was around 11:30 on a Friday night. Any fool would know exactly where Dally was, even a 10 year old girl like myself.

Drag races, Dally loved them. And that's how I just knew he'd be one in the crowd at the annual Friday night drag race on that long road downtown, Munich street. Unlike the existent Munich conference in 1938, this road wasn't linked to that meeting in any way.

At the start of Munich street, two cars were halted with their engines roaring over the shouting, obnoxious teenagers. Dally stood out like a yellow flag, his blond head of hair peeking above the others. Unlike Daddy who, like his hair grease, had traded drag racing in to be a father, Dally had not matured. He was 27 and was carrying on as if he was 17. Since I'd known him, he'd been married twice, both of them failing. I don't know why any woman would fancy Dallas. He might have been slightly handsome but his interior was cruel.

As I approached the rowdy mob, I started to tremble, a certain shyness and fear came over me. It was a imprudent decision, I had made it in the heat of the moment. The blaring music, the drunken voices, the smell of smoke and beer; it was all worldly and it stared at me right in the face. This idea started to seem very bad.

"Just turn back, Rosie. This is stupid, you don't know any of these guys except Dally. And then again, do you _really_ know him?" I chided myself as I inched toward the crowd. Before I knew it, I was right beside them. Some glanced at me and smiled as other scowled. With my stomach flopping around, I took an immersed breath and dove into the mob, shyly weaving my way through the teenagers who towered over me. I gagged on the smell of smoke and cheap leather but finally located Dally. I grasped onto his arm and gave a firm tug. "Dally?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews! I have a good idea of where things are going and such, but if any of you have an idea I'd be happy to hear it!**

When you look back upon your youth, you often cant believe how foolish and juvenile you once were. The things that meant the world to you, mean nothing but a childish game when you get older. Like that fight you had with your best friend in 7th grade or that wedding you had in 4th grade to your childhood sweetheart. Or perhaps; not being able to wear the clothes you wanted in 9th grade or being grounded for a stupid reason in 8th grade. Adults tend to forget that, once upon a time, those things meant the world to them. But to me, the night I found out about Daddy was, and will always be, a mountain.

Like I said before, I don't know why I sought out for Dally that night. He was hardly the type for sympathy or compassion. He wouldn't understand…would he?

As soon as I tugged on the sleeve of his jacket, Dally's head snapped down to look at me, his platinum blonde hair being tousled. "Glory, kid!" he exclaimed, followed by a series of curses that, by this time, I was no stranger to. "What're ya doin' here, kid? You oughta be crazy. Does your old man know about this? You know what, it aint my problem. Just tell me what ya want and get outta here. This aint no place for a girl your age.". I stood in front of him, blinking, not uttering a single word. Dally might have been comfortable talking to me but I had difficulty talking to him. His overwhelming presence caused me to fumble with the words in my throat and silence me. A log in my throat, if you will. He was a large man, in terms of personality. And what's on the interior, comes out on the exterior, and influences your actions and your style of dress.

"Well?" Dally urged, an annoyance growing in his voice. I was about to speak. I promise you, I was. But I couldn't find the words! Why had I dragged myself all the way over here to make a fool of myself? I wasn't a foolish child, I hope you know. But sometimes, the decisions I made, just made no sense. "C'mon, kid. I aint got all night." Dally growled again, this time more aggravated. Slightly frightened, I spat it out.

"Did you know?"

"Huh?"

"Did you know? About Daddy?…He's not really my daddy."

"What? That's crazy, kid. Who told you this?" He chuckled loosely, although through those snorts, I could tell he was shocked. And surprised that I had found out. He obviously knew, it was evident. Dally was good at what he did, but when it came to bluffing, I honestly thought he'd be better.

"Mama came home tonight. She wanted to take me with her. She was gonna take me away, Dally! Did you know?" I inquired, proof that I was desperate hung on every word. The group of swarming teenager around us seemed to fade away, almost as if they were frozen. Dally's phoney smile fell and, just like the typical Dallas Winston, he swore.

"Glory to God," he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his flaxen hair, it falling about his forehead in locks as the dim street light reflected off his face. "You really know how to spoil the party, kid." he muttered again as he turned away from me and began talking quietly to a man beside us. Initially, I look this as his way of showing me I had to figure this out myself.

Swallowing my rejection, I slowly turned myself around and made my way out of the crowd. A hand latched onto my arm and jostled me forward, before I could think anything, I was being lead out of the crowd from the force from behind me.

Once we were out from the crowd, I was relieved to see it was Dally grasping me. He continued to pull me all the way down the road until the music from the cars and the shouting of the intoxicated teenagers was out of ear shot. Gesturing to me to sit down on the curb, he took another swing of the bottle that was in his hand and looked right at me.

"Why'd ya have to go and get me involved in all this, huh?" he asked, somehow he sounded hurt. Hurt that I would trust him? "I mean, I don't know much about your pa and Sandy…er…your ma. I thought you woulda ran off to Ponyboy or somethin'." I shook my head slowly. "Look kid, you outta go home. I cant do nothin' for ya."

"No!" I protested. "I'm not going back if she's there! Or if he's there! I hate them! I hate them both!" I started to shout, my anger rising the more I thought about it. But did I really hate Daddy? It was only but an hour or so ago, I had been shivering in our bed, worrying about hippy monster pulling him into their peace van and taking him away. No, I didn't hate Daddy. They were nothing but meaningless words. But I did feel as if a certain trust had been broken between us. Though, there was no doubt, him and Uncle Darry were walking the streets, trying to find me. They probably woke Ponyboy too. And maybe Mama was with them as well. And maybe they'd come running down the street me and Dally were on and maybe, they just might spot me. Part of me wanted that. To be found. But a part of me told me, no matter if I'd get found or not, a part of me would always be lost.


	6. Chapter 6

Go. That's not an exciting word. Now vamoose or takeoff. Those are exciting. But go? Not exciting. More depressing, once you think about it. And the word hung heavy in the air when it was thrown at me.

"You gotta go, kid. I cant help you. You gotta go back home." Go home? I used to know the meaning of that. Home. It was once a one-story bungalow with a loving father, a charming companion and a gentle giant of an uncle. But now a beast in disguise, my mother, had invaded my home and corrupted it, tearing the ground out from under me. At times, I wished she had never came that night and told me the truth. I would've been fine living a lie. What I didn't know wouldn't hurt me. But, obviously, she didn't see it that way.

"Didn't you hear me, kid? Get lost!" Dally's voice growled at me. But it was more than spite that I detected in his voice. I knew he didn't resent me, he wasn't that good at hiding it. But if it wasn't resentment, what was it? Possibly secrecy? Insecurity? Guilt? Somehow, I got the sense he knew something I didn't. Whatever it was, it caused me to set in motion to leave, the night air wiping at my face and stinging my cheeks. I had no sense of direction, I hadn't been downtown quite often. Daddy liked to keep me harboured from things worldly and corrupted. Quite ironic, now that I think about it. No matter how much he sheltered me, he'd end up hurting me, either way. It was inevitable.

Eventually, I weaved my way through the dimly lit streets until my surroundings were familiar and the peaking tree in our front yard was visible. The light was on, through the window, I could see a male figure sitting at the kitchen table. Instead of rushing through the door and weeping an apology for my disappearance, I resisted my urge to make things well again and inched towards the tree. It'd be long time before anything could ever be well again. I already knew that.

In spite of the night wind, I took to climbing, the tree's rough bark scraping my hands and arms. Satisfied, I cautiously sat on a branch that I thought to be sturdy enough. Leaning my back against another branch, my first ever curse escaped from my lips.

"Damn them all."

Some might say that, at ten, it might be too young to curse. Or maybe some see it from a different perspective. But I felt no remorse of saying the word and, in fact, I was quite pleased with the way it came it. The way it sounded and the confidence it held. I had imagined the first time I ever cursed, it to be horrendous. Surely Daddy would scold me and hand me a bar of soap to wash my foul mouth but, up in that tree, the curse was only appropriate.

There was something about that tree, that night, the air, the wind, the curse. Something about it all had a dream-like quality. It was all unique, and the scent and vision of it all would be carved into my memory forever. Maybe a slave-driven mother was hanging her laundry and it's scent rose up and the air took on it's fragrance. Maybe a group of young hoodlums were burning plastic behind a store and the smoke dispersed into the air. Or maybe two young men were engaging in a drag race and the huffing gas fell into the air. Whatever it was, it all become an essence of that night.

"Rosie?" a soft voice broke through my thoughts. I peered through the leaves below me at the person who stood at the bottom of the tree. "Rosie! Thank God…oh, thank God. What on earth are you doing up there?" the voice got louder and just by the way the voice was tender but confronting and how it rasped in a certain gentleness, I could tell that the voice was my Ponyboy.

"Go away, Pony." I whimpered. But what it really was, was an invitation for him to persist.

"C'mon, your pa's looking everywhere for you! He's even got Uncle Darry, Johnny and Steve walking the streets for you!" Ponyboy exclaimed from below. It felt good to be worried about. But that wouldn't fill the black pit that sat in my stomach. I was stilled lied to an deceived. No amount of worry was going to change that. As young children usually do, I confronted Ponyboy.

"You lied to me, Pony." I stated in a poignant tone. Through the leaves I could see him shake his head with regret and heave a breath.

"I know. And I'm sorry. But your pa didn't want you to know. He had a right, though. Your ma didn't want you. But even if he isn't your real father, you still love him, don't you?" he pried, trying to justify Daddy's decisions. He could taunt me all he wanted with the obvious, I'd heard it all before. I knew Mama didn't want me nor love me. It was yesterday's news, it no longer hurt when it was said to me. Why she came back for me, I didn't know at the time. I was still marvelling at my revelation. But nothing Ponyboy could ever say would substantiate Daddy's choice to hide the truth from me.

The question still hung in the air, unanswered. Ponyboy was my best friend, I had never lied to him. But Daddy was his brother, would he be angry if I told him I didn't love Daddy anymore? At that point, I really didn't know. I couldn't give him a simple answer.

"Well?" he pressed, inching closer to the trunk of the tree. Feeling shielded by the leaves, I looked away, gazing up at the radiating stars that danced in the sky.

"I just don't know, Pony."


	7. Chapter 7

There was silence from the bottom of the tree, had Ponyboy left? I peered through the leaves at him, just to assure myself. From silence, came the sound of soft sobbing, a heart wrenching sound. Startled, I called down to him, fearing I had caused him to cry.

"P-Pony? Pony, are you crying?" His head snapped up to look at me, his sparkling eyes somehow meeting me through the leafy tree. He sniffed back his tears and swallowed.

"Nah, kid. It's just…I never thought it'd come down to this."

"Down to what?"

"You finding out about your pa. Look, can you come down? He's been looking all over for you." Ponyboy implored me, inching closer to the tree. Hesitant, I considered but the reoccurring thought of Mama swept over me.

"Where is she?" I asked, we both knew who _she _was. The devil in disguise who bore no name. My Mama was nothing but _she. _Or so I thought. Ponyboy knew my code talk and said;

"Your pa convinced her to leave. She drove off, claiming she'd return with child services…" his words trailed off, his eyes watching me through the leaves. The two words that Daddy and I had been living in fear of for seven years. Child services. Now, everything was falling apart, I felt as if I just might fall from the lush support of the tree, all the way to the ground, only for it to swallow me whole and keep me captive for all eternity.

"Rosie?" Ponyboy's voice broke through my thoughts, sucking me back in reality.

"I'm coming down." I informed him, my voice sounding far away. I slipped down from the branches, onto my feet. Ponyboy rested his arm over my shoulder and led me inside. I didn't shrug him off. He may have swindled me but he was my best friend and I needed him.

I sat opposite Ponyboy at the modest kitchen table, a cool glass of milk resting in my hands with the light flickering overtop of our heads. My clothes were damp from the dew soaked grass I had sat on and the leafs from the tree. The warmth of the house slowly dried me off, sending chills surging through my body, causing me to shiver. I enjoyed the feeling, however, it was another adding factor to why that night was unlike any other. Abruptly, the phone screeched, alarming me. Ponyboy reached for it, getting up from his chair.

"Hello? Yeah, this is Pony. Soda, calm down, she's here. You're at Steve's? Well y'all better come back home, she's here. Alright, I'll see you then. Bye, Soda." Hanging up the phone, Ponyboy rested against the wall, folding his arms and giving me a content look. "Your pa's gonna be home any minute." he told me as if I hadn't heard his phone call. I had always hated it when people did that. Assumed that I was too young or too daft to understand a phone call.

Within a matter of ten minutes, Daddy was bursting through the door, Uncle Darry and Dallas in tow. Daddy grabbed me, despite my resistance and pulled me into an embrace and whispered into my shoulder.

"Thank God, I thought you'd actually left. Gone somewhere where we'd never find you." His voice quivered, fighting the strong urge to cry but I knew no matter what I did to him, I'd never provoke him to break down in front of me. Daddy didn't cry. Although he seemed vulnerable to me, and he should've, he let go of me and looked at me with his chocolate eyes. They weren't dancing and laughing as they usually would be. They held a certain strictness, a certain infuriation that I had never seen before. "Don't you ever do that again, Rosie. Do you hear me? I know what I did was terrible but I don't ever want you to run out like that again. Are we understood?" his voice held the same tone that his eyes did. Slightly intimidated, I nodded.

"Yes, Daddy."

Swiftly, he turned towards Dallas, telling him he could go back to his drag race.

"You didn't have to come back with us, Dal. It was real nice of you."

"Just wanted to make sure the kid was ok." Dally grunted, sending me a cheerless wink. There it was in his face again, secrecy, concealment, there was something behind his icy blue eyes that held a mystery. My adolescent mind raked at what it possibly might be. But before long, he had left, slamming the door after him.

Silently shooing Ponyboy and Uncle Darry out of the room, Daddy took Ponyboy's chair opposite of me and held my gaze with his.

"Rosie, I'm going to tell you what _really_ happened."


	8. Chapter 8

Daddy sat with me under the dim light of the kitchen until the unholy hours of the morning, telling me and explaining to me how everything had happened. How him and Mama really were once in love. And how he had still wanted to be with her, despite her pregnancy and her disloyalty. He told me he didn't tell me he wasn't my real father because he knew no other man could love me more than he did. At which point, I let the tears spill out from my eyes and a sorrow filled sob erupted from my core. How I could ever think that he betrayed me, I didn't know. There I was, blaming him for deceiving me, yet he only did it to protect me.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." I sobbed to him, my face buried in his chest. Gently, he stroked my bouncy blonde curls and embraced me.

"Me too, Rosie. Me too." And I forgave him. Just like that. You must know, its impossible to stay made at my daddy. With his laughing bronze eyes and his playful smile.

Settling into bed, Daddy brushed a kiss against my forehead and sighed a 'good night'. I went to bed that night as a bastard.

When I awoke, a imprint was left on the mattress where Daddy's body would have been. Rising from the bed in the same clothes I had ran out with last night, I started to creak the door open and call for Daddy.

"Nah, just us." Ponyboy called out from the kitchen, I heard the sizzling of bacon and the sound of the radio as another voice hummed along. I ventured into the kitchen to see Ponyboy at the stove and Johnny seated at the kitchen table.

"Hey guys. Where's Daddy?" I asked, taking a seat across from Johnny. Whistling, Ponyboy shrugged and flipped the bacon.

"He was gone when I woke up." he replied. I looked to Johnny for maybe a second word of Daddy. Looking as if he were taken off guard, he shook his head.

"Don't look at me. I came straight from my house. I heard about your mama so I decided to see how you guys were doing. That and an excuse to get away from the twins." he said the last bit with a teasing chuckle. Johnny had married his wife, Millie, when he was 21. They wasted no time in having kids.

"I'm going to make sure they get treated one hundred times better than my old man treated me." he'd said when he found out Millie was pregnant with twins. He'd moved out as soon as he was 18, working at the Nightly Double and sleeping on the bathroom floor of the arcade. When he married Millie, they bought their own home, similar to ours. Johnny's life story always fascinated me. Because, when he was 16, everyone thought that he was going to die.

Hours past and I spent them playing Black Jack with Ponyboy and Johnny while we gambled with pieces of bubble gum. "What'd your pa tell you last night?" Ponyboy asked, while dealing the cards. Not sure if Daddy wanted me to keep our talk confidential, I shrugged.

"He just told me the whole story." I replied carelessly, hoping he wouldn't pry any much more. He simply nodded his head and took a drag of his cigarette. An uneasy silence hung in the air along with the smoke from two grown men's cigarette's as _Break It To Me Gently _quietly seeped out from the radio. Clearing his throat and cocking his head to the side, Johnny broke the silence.

"Change the station, willya? This music's bringing me back to high school." he muttered softly.

"Why, Johnny? It's a nice song." Ponyboy smiled, sending a wink my way. Ignoring their teasing, I asked abruptly;

"Did Daddy go to work?" It was Saturday, Daddy usually took that day off since he worked so much during the week. Shaking his head, Ponyboy sat back in his chair. Feeling even more uneasy now, I took an immersed breath and set my cards down.

"I don't feel like playing anymore." I sighed, standing and setting in motion for my room. I had a plan in mind.

"Aw, c'mon, Rosie. Don't be like that. I bet your pa just went out to do some errands or something. He'll be back." Ponyboy tried to assure me but even the look on his face was uncertain.

Without warning, a brisk knock came upon the door. Ponyboy walked to the door, seemingly puzzled and opened it to a middle aged man with stubble on his face and a food stained beige dress shirt. I saw his face, I was standing down the hall from the front door.

"Does a Rosie Curtis live here?" the man inquired, his voice sinking deep. My stomach flip-flopped inside of me, fearing who possibly could be looking for me. Suddenly, all the bad things I had done in the past couple months replayed through my mind.

"Depends on who's asking…" Ponyboy replied, sceptical. But the introduction that came from the man's lips was not that of a cop or of a person of great importance. Something worse. Much worse.

"Ben Kautz, child services."

**So sorry, this is probably one of my shortest chapters ever but I really wanted to leave it off on a suspenseful note and I didn't really have a lot of time left to write. Anyway, thank you for reading and be sure to review! I hope you enjoyed!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews on the last chapter! **

Those words, that title. When I heard them, I did the only thing that came to mind. I didn't take time to ponder it, if I did, I know I'd never of done it. I took off running in the opposite direction towards the back door, my heart thumping in my chest causing my stomach churn inside of me. Mama really had called Child Services. Spiteful words were racing through my mind, tempting to escape through my lips. Mostly words I had learned from Dally during our unjustified trips to the bar, years back. But the dominant words that thrashed around in my head were loud and seemed to be red with anger.

_Why, Mama? Why! You couldn't leave me well alone, could you, you self conceited __**ass**__!_

I pushed myself out the door, not panting because I was tired, but because the flame inside of me was stealing my breath away from me. I climbed my way over the metal fence, landing on my feet and taking off in the opposite direction from my house, my shoes slapping against the pavement.

Again I was running from my problems just like last night. It all felt familiar as I halted at the same tree and bent over, supporting myself with grasping my knees. It was last night all over. Only this time, it was late afternoon and sounds could be heard from the park across the street.

I leaned against the tree, weighing out my options when a voice came from behind me and startled me.

"He said you'd run," it was the voice of a woman. But not any woman. I think you and I both know who it was. Swiftly, I turned to face the voice and there stood Mama, looking just as she did the last time I saw her. While Daddy's face had aged as the years went on, starting to stretch out and creases slowly developing near his hairline, Mama seemed as if she was ageless.

I narrowed my eyes at her into slits, again becoming speechless. She inched towards me yet I inched away, backing up against the tree. Her blue eyes, a carbon copy of my own, followed me as her gaze slipped down to my body. She probably couldn't believe how much I had grown. Yet still I stood without words. "Well? Aren't you going to say hello to your mother? I traveled hours to see you." she coaxed, growing impatient. _Say something! Speak! Jeez, you really are useless, Rosie. _My head screamed at me but no words came. Finally after many moments of our malicious glares, I spoke.

"I don't give a damn how long it took you to get here. For all I care, you may as well just pack your bags and leave. No one asked you to come here." I spat her, my voice small but harsh. This was my second curse and, just like the first one, it felt good in my mouth and I liked the way it sounded when it came out. Now taken aback, Mama's eyes bunched together and her perfect lips were left ajar.

"You sure have a mouth on you. Where'd you learn to talk like that?"

"Dallas."

"I figured. Look, Rosie," she started as her arm lunged out for me, missing me as I leapt back, turning to run.

"I guess you want your father to get shipped off to jail then!" she called after me. Halting in my tracks, my head whipped around to look at her. "If you resist, he gets thrown into jail and you come to live with me anyway. What will it be, Roseanna?" I cringed my fists together. She had to have it all her way. Why did she want me anyway? She left without looking back. Her sudden change of heart struck me as sceptical.

"Why do you want me, anyway? You gave me up when I was 3 and you didn't come back for seven years! You don't know how much I hate you! I just wish you'd leave me and Daddy alone! We did nothing to you! He did nothing to you! Don't you know what'll happen to him if you take me away from him? He's changed a lot since you left. And you made him that way!" I exploded at her, walking back to her in large strides. I let it all out, seven years of growing hatred and spite. She swallowed hard, glaring at me. I could see faint tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She was tempted to cry, and I wanted her to. She began to talk in a low plead.

"I didn't know what I was doing back then. I was only 19! I had to get my life sorted out, and now I have and I'm ready to have a daughter again."

"So you had to take me by force?"

"Please, Rosie. I know you've made a life here with your father but cant you give me a chance?"

Was she insane? I didn't feel a single drop of remorse for her. Swiftly, I shook my head. Perhaps if she saw that I didn't want to be with her, she'd let me be. After all, who would want to live with someone who hated them? But it seemed she didn't care.

"Ok then. Don't say I didn't want to make this easier." she muttered and, without warning, she grasped onto my arm and pulled me with her and threw me into the back of a red Chevy, me thrashing to break free. A larger man held onto me once we were inside the car and I reached to open the door but Mama had locked it as soon as she sat in the driver's seat. Panic rose within me. Was she going to kidnap me?

"What the hell are you doing? !" I screamed at her, fumbling with the locked door, the larger man's arms grasping my waist. Cursing was starting to become something that I was growing familiar with. She simply started the engine and put the car into forward.

"I gave you chance to come willingly. But you decided to refuse. Really, you did this to yourself, Roseanna."

"Are you mad? ! Where are you taking me?"

"Relax, we have to go back and get your father to sign the papers. You'll have time to say goodbye, don't worry." Time to say goodbye? Her tone was wicked and I suddenly understood.

"No!" I screamed, lunging forward but being constrained by the large man which I could've only assumed as another agent from Child Services. When we approached the house, a crowd of men were stationed in the drive way. Two of them wore suites, the other three were Ponyboy, Johnny and Uncle Darry and the last was Daddy, being pinned to the hood of a police car. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews, you guys! This chapter's going to be interesting for me to type since I was fooling around with my friends during Math and wrote "PAIN" on my knuckles with his pen xD Now I have to look at that while I type! **

"Daddy!" I screamed once the larger man had released me. I ran right to him as he managed to push the man holding him down onto the police car up so that he could face me. His face was moist, I could tell.But in front of me, he hadn't cried. The tears must've fallen while I wasn't there.

"Your father's going to come with us until we get this whole thing sorted out." the officer that held him, told me.

"No!" I protested but Daddy wasn't trying to free himself. And Ponyboy and Uncle Darry were just standing there, seeming as if they were nothing but spectators. Why was no one putting up a fight? This frustrated me. "Daddy! You're not going to let them do this to us, are you?" I cried out. He simply looked away from me. I then turned to my uncles. "Uncle Darry? C'mon! Ponyboy? Do something!" But they simply shook their heads. What was wrong with everyone?

"Can you let me go so I can hug my daughter goodbye?" Daddy asked the officer. _Goodbye_? Gingerly, the officer released Daddy and he latched onto me with his strong arms.

"What do you mean _goodbye_?" I whispered in his ear.

"Just for now. There's going to be a court meeting and afterward, we're going to be together again."

"You promise, Daddy?"

"I promise, baby girl."

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too."

The wait was unbearable. Waiting for a court day, we waited all night at the town hall. They told us there was no day available for the next two weeks. But after living in the town hall building for four days, they were able to find us lawyers and a judge. Mama's money spoke wonders. Though, for four days, I couldn't go home, I couldn't go to Mama's, I couldn't go anywhere until custody was decided.

The court day was gruelling and bitter. I was only asked to say a few words and the rest was up to Mama, Daddy and their lawyers. The one question I was asked almost break me down at the stand.

"Where do you want to live, Rosie?"

"With my daddy, sir."

"And how would you feel if you lived with your mother?"

"I-I don't know, sir. I don't want to live with her…"

Towards the end of the day, I was told to wait in the halls while the decision was made. When the doors flung open, Mama flew towards me and told me to stand. "Let's go." she told me. Panicked, I pulled away from her.

"Go where?" I asked, my eyes wide.

"Your new home."

How could they've let me go to Mama and not Daddy? That's where I belonged, where I wanted to be!

There was a struggle. You think I'd give up that easy? No, I put up a fight. But I ended up being hauled out and into Mama's car by a new man I'd never seen before. I didn't have time to examine his face. All I knew was that he was friendly looking yet also strong.

I cried the whole car ride. However, it wasn't as long as I'd expected. As it turned out, Mama never left Tulsa. She led me and Daddy to believe that she'd left the state of Oklahoma all together while she hadn't even left the city. When we pulled up to the house, my jaw nearly dropped instantly to the floor. The house was almost three times as big as ours. Speechless, I grabbed the bag of clothes that I was allowed to take from home, and stepped out from the car. The sky was pitch black and the air was unusually gentle and warm. It was all strange, obscure unfamiliar and to me. I think the only thing that prevented me from breaking down and crying was shock.

The same friendly looking man who had dragged me from town hall told me to follow him into the house. Strangely, I turned to Mama. It surprised me just as much as it seemed to surprise her but she was the only person I remotely knew in this strange place. I'd soon learn to be independent but for the time being, I had to look to my mama. She nodded to me, so I followed the man.

"This will be your room." he told me, opening a door to room on the second floor. The _second _floor! I had never been in a house that had a second floor, let alone lived in one. No! I wasn't going to live here! First, I had to work on comprehending what was happening but if it was the last thing I'd do, I knew I'd never let myself live here.

Setting my bag down on the dresser, I took slow, socked steps around the carpeted room, observing it. The head of the bed was pushed against the right wall, a night stand with a lamp and a clock sat beside it. There was a wooden dresser pushed against the left wall with a mirror that hung above it. However, the most outstanding thing in the room was the glass door that led to the balcony. Taken aback, I stalked towards the door and slid it open, stepping out onto the balcony. A tall tree's leaves invaded into the area of the balcony. I reached out and buried my hand into the ruffling leaves and sighed. What had happened to me? How had I let myself get into such a mess? But, it wasn't me. It was _her_. If she'd of just let me and Daddy the hell alone, none of this would've happened!

Angrily, I stomped back into the room and locked my door as I let myself collapse onto the bed. I let words of spite run through my mind, causing me to stiffen in my curled up position on the bed.

It was her fault I was even here!

It was her fault that Daddy and I were ripped apart!

It was her fault that I now had to live here!

It was her fault any of this even happened!

And it was her fault I was going to sleep in a bed without my Daddy.

The empty space beside me where Daddy's body would've been, finally let the tears that I had been holding in streak down my face. I was alone in a strange house with a woman who I had hated for so many years and a man I didn't know.

"Daddy," I let out a hoarse wail. I knew he couldn't hear me but it was something I had to do. I laid there silently weeping for hours. It was almost evident that I wouldn't get any sleep.

Jolting me out of my tears, a tap came upon the glass door. Ignoring it, I buried my face into the sheets of my bed. Yet again, the tap came upon the window. Rolling over in my bed, I was met with the sight of a man hanging onto one of the tree branches and waving to me. Alarmed, I sprung up from my bed and went to grab the lamp for protection but I slowly recognized the face of the man.

"Daddy?" I asked out loud in non-belief, as I stumbled towards the door. Slowly, I opened it and stepped out onto the balcony again. "Daddy!" I exclaimed, grabbing onto his hand and helping him onto the balcony. Panting breathlessly, he pulled me into an embrace and buried his face into my shoulder. We stood there silently for minutes with nothing but heavy breathes being heaved into the air between us.

"You broke your promise," I said abruptly, letting go of him and opening to door to the room. Without questioning, Daddy followed.

"What?"

"Four days ago, you promised after this was all over that we'd go back home and we'd be together. That didn't happen." I said, rolling back into bed. Daddy laid beside me in his usual place.

"I know. I'm sorry." he whispered, I watched him close his eyes. "I cant stay here, Rosie. If your mama finds out what I did, I'd never be able to see you again. I only came here because I had to make sure you were ok. I heard her talking about where her home was in court and I knew I had to see you. Just to assure myself. But I cant stay."

"Please, Daddy." I pleaded, grabbing his large hand. "Just stay for tonight. I promise I'll be a big girl tomorrow but for tonight, cant you stay?"

For a moment, he hesitated. "Ok, baby girl." he whispered, brushing a kiss against my forehead. "Just for tonight."


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for the reviewing guys! I'm a little stuck here for what to do with this story. I'm sure I'll think of something but in the mean time, its killing me that I don't know what I'm going to do with this story DX but, by all means, enjoy chapter 11!**

When I stirred in the morning, Daddy was gone. An imprint was left on the mattress where his body had been. I slowly placed my hand on the imprint and heat was being generated from it - Daddy must've left not too long ago. Light shone in from the balcony's glass door and lit up the room. It looked so different in the light. Looking down, I was reminded that I had gone to bed in my clothes and slowly pulled off the covers and set my feet down on the carpeted floor. I was met with a question.

What now?

I had no idea as to what I was supposed to do. Gingerly unlocking and opening the door to my room, I took socked foot steps out into the hall, examining its interior. I couldn't believe I was here.

As I descended from the room, I was met face to face with a man. _The_ man. I had seen him in court. He was the man who had dragged me from town hall and held onto me in the car. He was the man who had showed me to my room last night. And now he was standing in front of me, just looking at me. His hair was jet black and was cut respectively. His eyes seemed beady, yet they held power; they were coffee coloured with specks of dark green in them. He was a relatively large man, as I had mentioned before. He conveyed control for sure but something about him made him appear uncertain.

After several moments of gawking and awkward silence, he clumsily extended a hand towards me.

"I'm Joseph Kelowna. I'm,…uh, married to your mother." he introduced himself. Cautiously, I shook his hand briefly.

"I'm Rosie Curtis." Was I a Curtis? If I wasn't, then I had no idea what to call myself. I surprised myself at how calm I was after being dragged from my life into a nightmare.

Joseph grunted awkwardly and pulled his hand away. "Your mother wants you downstairs for breakfast." he told me. I caught his gaze slipping past my face and into the room I had slept in. Was he suspicious? Saying nothing, I simply nodded my head and continued down the hall way.

"Yes, sir." There were three more doors as I went down the hallway and I soon found the winding staircase. Mama sure had hit the jackpot. It made me wonder what Joseph did that made him so wealthy.

"How did you sleep?" Mama's voice seeped out from the kitchen once I had entered. She was seated at the table, wrapped in a night robe with a tea in her hand. Her golden blonde hair ran down her back and her china blue eyes were focused on me. It was chilling how much we looked alike.

Not answering her, I felt a rush of anger flush through me. I had been so calm and I thought I'd be able to control myself but I didn't last more than a minute in Mama's presence before I got flustered. I stayed standing at the doorway of the kitchen, just staring. "Well? Don't be shy, take a seat." I found myself slightly trembling as I took the seat opposite her. Why was I afraid? The worst had already happened. Hadn't it?

"Why'd you do it?" I asked abruptly, leaning back in my chair. Mama seemed slightly taken off-guard but she soon regained her nonchalant posture.

"Many reasons. Many, many reasons, you wouldn't understand."

"Well you must've taken me away for a pretty good reason, I want to know what it is!"

"I didn't take you away, I won custody."

"Does it look like I want to be here?"

"Rosie, you should be grateful to me. Look at the house I gave you! I can give you opportunities that your father would never of been able to offer you. Besides, wouldn't you much rather live with family?"

"Daddy _is_ family."

"I mean real family, dear."

Another question that I had mixed feelings about, boiled up in my head as I balled my fists together. Part of me wanted to know the answer but the other part was screaming to get away from it. Still, the question remained. Who was my father? Mama was going to be of no help. I could see that already from the way she carried on.

"Good morning, love." Joseph's voice sounded from behind me as he brushed a quick kiss against Mama's cheek. I didn't want to see it. I didn't want to see Mama happy with another man. I knew her and Daddy could not, and never would, be together again but Daddy hadn't moved on - Mama had.

"I take it you've met my husband?" Mama gestured towards Joseph. I nodded.

"Yes, me and Rosie met in the hall," Joseph said, handing me an apple from the fruit basket. I hesitated before I took it from his hands. Could I ever learn to be comfortable here?

No! I was _not_ going to live here! I **was **going to return to Daddy, and Ponyboy and Uncle Darry. No matter how nice Mama made things for me here, I'd never stay. I just had to figure out a scheme to get myself out.

Slowly, I rose from my chair and stalked out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Mama called after me. I simply turned to face her. She was most likely worried that I was going to run back home. But where else did she expect me do go? "Why don't you read, I have a stack of books for you in your room."

"Yes, Mama."

Ha, how ignorant can a person get? I made my way to the stairway, which was right near the front door, and stopped at the first step. Mama couldn't be looking. And I didn't really need any of the stuff I'd brought with me, I had more clothes at home. I could've make a run for it, I could've.

_C'mon, Rosie! Run! _

Instead, I dragged myself up the winding staircase. I had to think of a better plan than that. I spent the rest of my day in my room, thinking. I did start reading one of the books Mama had left for me. I'd never heard of them before. At around noon, a knock came upon my door and Joseph answered.

"Here, I brought you some lunch." he said, handing me a plate with a sandwich on it. "Just don't tell your mother. She wanted you to eat downstairs." Thanking him, I took the plate. The thing about Joseph was, he seemed odd around me, I could tell he didn't feel comfortable around children but he seemed nice enough, like someone I wouldn't mind confiding in. While his awkwardness made me feel more powerful over him, he seemed honest and gentle, despite the fact that he had dragged me by my arms the other night.

"How do you like it here?" he asked me, awkwardly standing next to the dresser.

"To be honest, sir, I'd much rather be at home." I told him.

"I know,…I know." he sighed, nodding his head sympathetically. He seemed to be compassionate for me, almost as if he didn't back up his wife's decisions.

"Do you know why my mama took me away?" I don't know why I asked. I suppose I was just desperate for an explanation for all this. But Joseph looked like he didn't know any more than I did. He simply shrugged.

"I'm sure she had her reasons."

"Sure."

"You know, Rosie, if you want…" Joseph's voice trailed, leaving his unfinished sentence hanging in the air.

"Yes?"

"Uh,…never mind."

I laid in bed that night, curled up in the sheets, wishing I could fall asleep. I don't know what it was, I just couldn't fall asleep knowing my daddy wasn't beside me. I tried everything. I clenched my eyes hard together and tried to sleep, I laid in different positions, I even tried lying at the opposite end of the bed but nothing worked, and I ended up chucking my pillow at the wall in frustration. Why was this so damn hard? ! The night was growing late and I still hadn't fallen asleep. I was half expecting Daddy to knock at the glass door but I had to face it - Daddy wasn't coming tonight.

Finally, I laid in my first position and did the only thing I could think of. After Mama had left, Daddy would sit in the living room and let a certain song play over and over as tears collected in his eyes. Skeeter Davis' _End Of The World._ Almost silently, I sung the words.

"_Why does the sun go on shining? Why does the sea rush to shore? Don't they know it's the end of the world? 'Cause you don't love me anymore. Why do the birds go on singing? Why do the stars glow above? Don't they know it's the end of the world? It ended when I lost your love."_

Seemingly timed, a light tap came upon the balcony's glass door. I couldn't tell if the sound was my imagination, or in fact, reality. Either way, I stayed curled up on the bed. Following the tap, I heard the glass door open and close and a weight came down beside me on the bed. Hoping I wasn't imagining all this, I turned in my bed to face Daddy. I reached my hand out and it gently brushed his face. I felt so relieved he was real. He smiled at me and kissed my hand.

"I thought you weren't going to come tonight, Daddy." I told him. Looking right into my eyes, he nodded.

"I know. But I had to make sure you were ok. I tried sleeping but the thought of you alone here, was killing me." 


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey you guys I'm SO sorry, I haven't written in probably over a month, I've been so busy with summer and what not, and I've had terrible writer's block. Also I burnt my finger on the friggin' toaster this morning so its going to be a bit harder to type. It's also shorter than I'd like (I really don't know where I'm going with this story) and I apologize for the lack of Outsider's characters in this chapter. Anyway, enjoy chapter twelve!**

When I awoke, just as the morning before, Daddy was gone, an imprint of his body sketched into the foam of the mattress. This would be my third day living here, the reality of it was starting to become more apparent. But I knew I would never let myself give up and admit this place to be my home. As usual, I was still in my clothes and my blond curls were turning into a greasy mess. But I didn't care. It was a hard reality.

I didn't want to get out of bed.

I didn't want to walk downstairs.

I didn't want to sit at the kitchen table, opposite Mama in her red night robe.

All I wanted was for it to be four or five days ago before Mama had even come to get me.

A fist knocking against the wood of my door caused me to jolt back into my senses. I gripped my fingers on tightly to the bed sheets, awaiting for voice recognition. Silence hung in the air for a long period of time. Finally, the fist at the door knocked again, this time with a voice attached.

"Rosie?"

A male's voice. Joseph's voice. Unsure, I let his voice ring, but again he summoned me.

"Rosie?"

"Yes, sir?" I called back timidly.

"Can I come in?" I let my mind ponder it for a while. Joseph had gained enough of my trust. And, if I was ever going to slither my way out of here, I was going to have to start trusting somebody.

Shyly, I walked to the door and unhitched the lock, slowly opening the door. I took a step back but Joseph never took the invitation to follow me in. Instead, he stationed himself at the doorway, his hands buried in his pockets, his eye lashes fluttering. He was most certainly nervous. But of what?

"Rosie," he started, his gaze shooting in all different directions. "I, I was thinking about this all last night…."

"Yes?"

"And you have to promise me you will never let your mother find out,"

"Yes, sir."

"How would you feel if I took you to see your father?"

My stomach jumped and flittered to all extents, my toes curling in my socks. "You'd do that?" I asked, trying to hide the excitement in my voice. Joseph cleared his throat and tugged at his shirt collar.

"Yeah, sure, kid." he said quickly. "But we have to leave soon. Your mother went _out_ about an hour ago. Who knows when she'll be back." The thought of Mama being out somehow struck me as odd. I just assumed her to always be stationed at the kitchen table wrapped in her robe, sipping her tea. And the emphases Joseph put on the word 'out' made me ponder why he didn't necessarily approve of her outing.

But I was glad that she was out, nonetheless, and even more ecstatic that Joseph had offered to take me to see Daddy. He'd probably of thought better of it if he had known Daddy had came to see me for the past two nights.

I dressed myself and met Joseph downstairs where he handed me an apple and gently nudged me out the door with me behind him.

"We have to go quickly." I heard him mutter under his breath. Whether he was talking to himself or to me, I couldn't decipher.

The car ride was overly awkward with silence hanging in the condensed air, as I sat in the back and Joseph sat firm in the front, with his eyes continuously darting in the car mirror. He was a very insecure man, I could make that out just from the way he carried himself. He was passive, compassionate, open minded, and most noticeable; uneasy around kids. It made me wonder why he had such a clumsiness about him around them. It had to be children in general, it couldn't of been just me.

The silence was broken when Joseph finally asked a question half way there.

"Where exactly does your father live again?" It felt odd to have it described as where 'my father lived'. Still, I recited the address I had known for seven years.

When we arrived, the memories of the first night came flooding through my mind with every frame of scenery. The tree I was coaxed down from, the front porch I stormed off from, the driveway where Daddy was pinned to the hood of the police car.

"You ready, Rosie?" Joseph called back to me. Sullenly, I nodded my head and slowly stepped out from the car. It felt odd to return to the scene of the crime.

As I walked up the driveway, I could make out a figure through the window, hunched over the kitchen table. Ponyboy. Before I came to the door, Joseph's voice reached out to me one last time.

"You want me to stay in the car?" I pondered the thought. He had took time out of his day to drive me here, and cared enough to go against his wife's orders. However, would I want him standing awkwardly to the corner while I hugged my family? And would _they _want him there?

At a loss for words, I looked back at him and simply shrugged. Taking that as a decline, he walked back to the car. Guilt leached onto me but I quickly swatted it away.

Two firm knocks upon the wooden door. The front light flicked on. A muttered voice. Shuffling of feet. Finally an unhitched latch and a grasp of the door handle. Ponyboy's stunned face met mine.

"Rosie?" 


End file.
